Archives for March 2014

We are happy to announce OurModenus Blog Tour Sponsors. Our trip to Italy is only a few days away!! We will see the sights and sounds and be exposed to European design through Modenus Blog Tour. A huge thank you to our sponsors where we will be introduced to a host of high end kitchen and bath products, including sinks, faucets, countertops, and unique storage ideas. We have been fortunate to have several kitchen and bath projects over the last year. We’re excited to come back to the states a little more educated and experienced in adding design forward products to our clients!

BLANCO– Family owned since 1925, they have produced more thank 40 million Blanco sinks and are recognized as a world leader in quality, innovation and unsurpassed service.

Cosentino is the world’s leading producer of Silestone quartz surfaces for quality kitchen and bath countertops and sinks with advanced bacteristatic technology. They manufacture Silestone and extensively quarry and process marble and granite along with operating in more than 70 Cosentino centers in over 60 countries. We will be learning about their newest product Dekton. Stay tuned…..

Gessi – Established in 1990, they are not your Momma’s faucet line. Gessi is very design forward and quintessentially Italian. They have become a world famous name brand. Due to outstanding growth rate on a yearly basis since 2001, they are reaching the top of the industry in Italy for revenues.

Clever Storage by Kessebohmer stands for innovative solutions and a powerful blend of design, function and quality. They have 2100 employees that work in 5 manufacturing locations in Germany. They supply elegant, high quality solutions for brilliantly organized kitchen storage.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association established in 1963 is a non-profit trade association that promotes the professionalism of the kitchen and bath industry. It was founded as a network of kitchen dealers and has since grown into the premier association of distributors, retailers, remodelers, manufacturers, fabricators, installers, designers and other professionals.

BlogTour is owned and managed by online design resource MODENUS.COM and launched the first tour in September 2011. Veronika Miller, the leader, loves to connect people throughout the design industry. It is a growing community of like minded bloggers that travel the world to find new inspiration and design trends and report back to their audiences. You can check out the Pinterest page for BlogTour Milan here!

I have a confession to make. I am yearning to do a coastal living beach house design. For as long as we’ve been designing and creating beautiful and functional homes for our clients, the one thing we have not been asked to do is a beach house . It doesn’t have to be a multi-million dollar mansion or anything quite like this: (or it could be)…..

This is a beautifulhomein New Jersey that was used byTory Burch for her fall photo shoot!

If you’re not in the business of sourcing products and designing interiors all day long like we are, you might not have any idea how much products for your home cost these days. It is common for our clients to hire us without having a clue about how much furniture REALLY costs.

For example, how much should a sofa cost?

We often ask our clients a common analogy – are you interested in good, better or best (think Ford, Toyota, Mercedes or Ikea, Pottery Barn, Henredon)? How much do you want to spend invest? Think about it – your sofa is the workhorse of the house. Big people, little people, pets, crumbs, spills, clean feet, dirty feet and more will spend time on this particular piece of furniture. Comfort is Queen. Quality is King. As Magnus Breitling, director of product management for Emeco chair company, puts it, “They say only rich people can afford to buy cheap stuff.”

Personally, I cannot in good conscious advocate going out and buying ANYTHING for your home that is new and cheap (i.e. poor quality). Can you buy a sofa constructed of stapled plywood and foam cushions for $500 that might last a year? Sure – but why? If you are going to do that, go to a thrift shop or consignment shop, reduce your carbon footprint and get a better quality, more interesting sofa.

The “better” sofa will be constructed with a sturdy frame made of a kiln-dried hardwood, such as oak, maple, and poplar. Kiln-drying removes moisture, helping guard against warping and cracking. High-quality frames are screwed and glued at all the joints, to doubly protect against anything coming apart. Sofa corners should be reinforced with blocks connected with double dowels or staples and screws.

(Boring I know but how the frame is constructed is as important as the materials from which it’s made.)

Look for “8-way hand tied” springs – a hallmark of fine furniture.

Here’s a great example from one of our favorite manufacturers – C.R. Laine.

Now let’s spend $4,000 + on a “Best” Sofa.

The construction won’t vary too much from the “better” sofa but the cost will increase due to the quality of fabrics used and many times the name and reputation of the manufacturer. Names like Baker, Hickory White and Century will command a higher price.

I took this photo of this gorgeous sofa by Lillian August for Hickory White while at the Highpoint Furniture Market last October.

The bottom line? Buy the best QUALITY sofa that you can AFFORD. You won’t regret it!

The great thing about social media (in this case Twitter), is you get to meet interesting creatives from all over the world. Thanks to our friends at Terry’s Blinds in the UK for including us in this quirky and fun infographic called “The Golden Rules of Interior Design”.

If you’d like to follow Terry’s Blinds on Twitter, you can follow them HERE.

We are thrilled to announce we have been invited to participate in the Modenus Blogtour Milan!!

What is a blogtour? – It is a tour sponsored by Veronika Miller of Modenusfor a select group of the best interior design and lifestyle bloggers and invites them to visit the world’s most inspired design venues.

Modenus Blogtour has been connecting brands and influencers since 2011 and has visited New York, Cologne, Amsterdam, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and this year, a trip to Milan and then Paris. We will spend 6 days reporting on new trends and products as we galavant around Milan AND Venice!

From seaside homes to luxury condominiums in Boston’s Back Bay, award-winning interior designer Pamela Copeman is noted for her posh panache and timeless designs that unite classic style with a modern, often colorful twist. Author of Posh Palettes Blog, Pamela has over 20 years of experience designing exceptional living spaces for a variety of clients, Pamela prides herself on keeping up with the latest and greatest products and trends in interior design. By working collaboratively with clients, Pamela ensures that each space she designs is a true reflection of the people who live in it.Pamela is also an accomplished painter and mixed media artist. Describing her artistic style as colorful, eclectic and loose, Pamela paints with a designer’s eye and a firm belief that inspiration is everywhere. Learn more about Pamela’s artistic style via her Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+

Kandrac Kole is a nationally recognized interior design firm founded by principal designers Joann Kandrac and Kelly Kole. This successful duo has established a reputation well known for their approachable, dynamic personalities, signature use of color, and one of a kind, custom designs. Voted one of Atlanta’s Top 20 Residential Interior Designers in 2013 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, their work has been featured on HGTV, The New York Times, House Beautiful.com, Southern Lady Magazine, Atlanta Home Improvement and Houzz.com. Joann and Kelly’s love and commitment to the power of interior design is also exhibited in their charity work throughout the U.S. and Guatemala and thru their blog, blog.kandrac-kole.com, which was established in 2009. Learn more about this dynamic duo via their Twitter, Facebook,Pinterest andGoogle+.

Carmen Maria Natschke is a new media entrepreneur, freelance writer, social media diva, speaker and the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the internationally acclaimed design blog, The Decorating Diva. Her passion for beautiful design has her traveling the globe as a lifestyle and design expert sharing her love of art, architecture, design, and trends with thousands of Decorating Diva fans around the world. Connect with Carmen on Twitter, FacebookPinterest , and Google+.

Eric Schimelpfenig, AKBD is the founder of SketchThis.Net. Eric has utilized 3D technology throughout his career. He has taken pencil and paper operations and converted them to 3D, worked with Google on Sketchup’s development, created 3D content for companies large and small, and taught Sketchup to countless students all over the country.He is also an active columnist in Kitchen & Bath Design News, is often hired to teach Sketchup, and speak on emerging technologies for the design field. He is currently touring the country on a three year teaching tour with Ellen Cheever and Kitchen & Bath Design News. Meet Eric and learn more about 3D technology via his Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

Holly Hollingsworth Phillips is a residential interior designer and owner of The English Room in Charlotte, North Carolina. Holly’s style is elegant, eclectic and colorful. She has completed homes all over the East coast that have ranged in style. Holly has been published in many publications in print and digital. She loves overseeing the design process from beginning to end. “The best part is when your clients really trust you and set you free to do what you do best.” Her love of color, pattern and layering of old and new can be seen in all her work. According to Holly, “Color makes people happy!” Holly is a Blogtour London 2013 alumni and Blogtour devotee. Learn more about the colorful Holly via her Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

Since 2008 Tamara Matthews Stephenson has been writing Nest by Tamara, a lifestyle blog inspired by her busy life as a NYC interior designer. She muses about all that encompasses “nesting.” Tamara has also written for Traditional Home Magazine, Venu Magazine, Today’s Equestrian and New York Spaces Magazine. Tamara hopes to help her clients and readers create a stylish yet well-lived in home while putting it all into perspective. Learn how to “nest” with Tamara via her Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

CLOTH & KIND is a boutique interior design firm and blog led by Krista Nye Schwartz and Tami Ramsay with offices in Ann Arbor, MI and Athens, GA. They are storytellers that design well-curated, layered and cultured spaces created to reflect the personalities of their clients and how they live their lives. Meet the fabulous partners and learn about their steadfast passion for textiles and cultured spaces via their Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

Robin Plaskoff Horton’s award-winning and Webby-nominated blog, Urban Gardens, is a lifestyle story told from the ground up. A mix of urban style, design, and nature, Urban Gardens is about the whole circle. Urban Gardens explores the world’s most captivating destinations, to see, taste, and experience multi-culturally, what the global creative universe is growing and serving up in their own particular style.Robin has been a featured speaker at the Garden Bloggers Conference, Women at Woodstock, and the Garden Writers Association Annual Meeting. She contributes to Houzz, and has been a featured curator for social commerce sites, Pickie and Luvocracy. In addition to several awards, Mashable named Urban Gardens “One of the Top 10 Must-Follow Home and Garden Twitter Accounts.” Get connected with Robin via her Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

Lisa Smith, interior designer, author, publisher of DecorGirl.net, artist and sportscar driver is more than your average designer. Owner and visionary behind Interior Design Factory, Ltd. a boutique design firm where they design everything from furniture to light fixtures to provide their clients with a completly personalized interior, Lisa lives by her words, “do it once, do it right.“ She brings and artist’s eye for color and composition to everthing she does. Her automotive interests fuel her personality of living outside the box and provide endless inspiration for design solutions. Live outside of the box with Lisa via her Twitter,Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

Please stay tuned for some great product information, photos and fun we will be sharing!